Garment-fastener.



L. V. BARRETT, SH. GARMENT FASTENER, APPucATloN HLED ma. x8 1913.

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ATTORNEY onnmn LOUIS VIN'CENT JBARRET'I', SR., OF SUIVIMITHILL, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOE OF ONE- TENTH T0 ANDREW BEESLIN, OF SMMITHILL, PENNSYLVANIA.

GAEMENT-FASTENER.

Application filed February 18, 1913.

To alle/17mm z't may Gomera:

Be it known that I, LOUIS V. BAnnnT'r, Sr., a citizen of the United StatesJ residing at Summithill, in the county of Carbon and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Garment-Fastener, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to improvements in garment fasteners of the type comvmcnly known as hooks and eyes, and its object is to provide a simple device in which both members corresponding to the hook and eye of the named type of garment fastener are identical and both are in reality in the form of eyes so that both members of the fastener may be made by one machine, and furthermore both members of the fastener may be made of wire of the gage usually employed in hooks and eyes and still the device be amply strong for the purposes for which it is intended.

Each eye is made'of a single piece of wire bent intermediately upon itself with the free ends curled into small rings, while at the intermediate end the eye is somewhat elongated or elliptical and the elongated eye is dished, so that one eye may be introduced into the other with the dished or concaved portions in opposition and interlocked.

The invention will be best understood from a consideration of the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying (lrawings forming a part of this specification, with the further understanding that while the drawings show a practioal'embodiment of the invention, the latter is not confined to any strict conformity with the showing of the drawings, but may be changed and` modified so long as such changes and modifieations mark no material departure from the salient features of the invention.

in the drawings -Figure 1 is a plan view of two separated fastening members which f together constitute a garment fastener.` Fig.

2 is an edge view of't-he two members shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan View of the ga'rment fastener with the two members in interlocked relation. Fig. 4 is an edge view of the arrangement shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing one manner of introducing one of thetwo members of the garment fastener into the other for movement into the interlocked position. Fig. 6 .is a plan view illustrating a use of a Speefication of Letters Patent.

Patented-ept. 5, 1916..

Serial No. 749,203.

locked Itherewith in a manner to be described. o

Since the two members are identical a description of one will apply with equal force to the other, and hence the same reference numerals are employed on both. Each member comprises an eye or loop l made by bending a piece of wire of suitable length and gage intermediately uponitself. The front or nose 2 of the loop l is rounded and the loop is then gradually expanded at the sides 3 to a point li which may be somewhat more than half the length of the longer axis of the loop from the nose 2. vFrom the point 4 the sides 5 of the loop approach and are nearly straight until these sides 5 meet in a shank portion 6 of the member where the two legs of the piece of wire bent intermediately upon itself are in contact or approximately so, and finally the free ends of the legs of thebent wire are Curved in opposite directions to form oppositely disposed closed rings 7, although it is not essential that these rings be actually fully closed. The loop l is also curved in the direction of the long or longitudinal axis of the loop, so that the loop is slightly dished, wherefore the side portions 5 extend slightly to one side of the plane of the shank 6, while the side portions 3 and the nose 2 extend to the other side of said plane.

Suppose, now, that the two members A and B with the longitndinally curved loops 1 are attached by the rings 7 and suitable stitching to two members of a garment to be secured together with, however, the nose portions of the loops 1 of the members A and B in reverse relation, that is, the loops l, say, of the members A along one edge of the garment having the nose portions directed outwardly from the outer surface of the garment, while the members B have the nose portions of the loops 1 directed inwardly toward the inner surface of vthe garment, this disposition of the parts being indicated in Fig. 2. If' it be desired to secure the two members of` the garment together by means, of the members A andB one of the members, say, the member` B, is

turned so that the shorter aXis of the loop 1, which is an elongated loop of generally elliptical outline, corresponds in direction to the longitudinal or longer aXis of the loop 1 of the member B. The nose portion 2 of the member B is then moved into and through the loop 1 of the member A from the convex side of the loop until the loop of member B has been passed through the loop of the member` A., where-upon the member B is turned on its longitudinal aXis and also turned on a transverse axis until the convex sides of the loops of the two members face each other and then t-he two members are drawn apart until the side portions 5 of the' member lodge against the side portions 3 of the member A with the nose portien 2 of the member A in overridi. 0' relation to the shank 6 of the member B where the loop and the shanl: join. The nose portion of the member Bf is brought into overriding relation to and engagement with the shanlr por- -tion (3 of the member B wher the loop 1 of the member A and the shank thereof join. This disposition of the parts is shown in plan in Fig; 3 and edge view in lP while the positionV of the parts as the member B is about to be passed through the loop of the member A is indicated in Fig. 5. lf it be assumed that Fig. 5 shows the member B with the coneave face of the loop l thereof toward the observer, then after the member B has been introduced through the loop 1 of member A, the member B is turned toward the right or clockwise before the two loops are brought into fiat engagement. If it be assumed that the member B in Fig. 5 presents the convex face toward the observer, then the turning movement of the member B about its longitudinal aXis is counterclockwisc as the two loops are brought into face engagement. lt is thus possible to connect the two members by introducing the member B through the member A in either of two positions. Tf, now, the member A be introduced through the member B, then the turning movements of the member A about its longitudinal axis are just the contrary to those just described with reference to the member B, and, moreover, the member A must be introduced into the member B through the convex face thereof, and consequently in the opposite direction to the arrangement shown in Fig. 5 where the member B is assuined to be moving upwardly through the member A. llVhen the member B is inti'oduced through the member A, then if the movements be represented in the same manner as in Fig'. 5 the member A will be horizontal and the member A will be above the member B and moving downwardly.

VVhile when the garment to be secured together is upon the person of the wearer the movements of the two members A and B are more or less horizontal, the action is the same as that described with reference to the showing of Fig. 5.

lt thus appears that the two identical fastening devices may be interlocked in four different ways, and when once intorlocled cannot by any possibility become disconnected unless turned through an arc of approximately ninety degrees on two aXes perpendicular one to the other.

Because of the conformation of the loops 1 they lie markedly flat when in interloclred relation, and there is no tendencyof the introduced loop to spread the other loop as pressure is exerted only at the nose and shank or heel end of the. loops. The loops 1 are so formed that each member Er and B is identieal with the other and both may be made by one machine, so that there is no necessity of choice when the devices are being attached to a. garment as would be the case with the usual hoolrs and eyes which require two different 'nachines to manufacture them and the selection of +wo difierent forms or structures when being applied to a garment. lt is to be observed that the internal width of each loop is less than the external shorter diameter of the other loop, while the longitudinal internal diameter of the loop is suflicient to permit the passage of one loop through the other when the shorter diameter of the one loop agrees with the longer diameter of the other loop, but when the two members are on a garment and interloclred then any amount of movement of the two loops longitudinally or laterally of each other will not serve to disengage one from the other, for it is onlyrby a movement of one loop about two aXes perpendicular to each other and then a further longitudinal movement of the loop that it may be disengaged from the other loop when the two loops vare in interlocking relation.

It is not always necessary in order to fasten, two portions of a garment together that two members A and B be used, for one of the members may be fastened to one flap of a garment and a button seeured to the other flap. This arrangement is shown in Figs. 6 and 7 where two flaps 8 and 9 of a garment are indicated, the flap 8 having secured thereto one of the members shown in the other figures, say, the member A, and this member is made fast to the fiap by means of stitching 10 extending through the rings 7 and other stitching 11 engaging the nose portion 2 on opposite sides of the center thereof, while a button 12 is shown as secured to the flap 9. Because ofthe dishedV shape of the loop 1 this loop will in the arrangement shown in Figs. 6 and 7 offstand in the main from the flap 8 so that the button 12 may be introduced through the loop between the same and the fiap 8 and the effeet upon the button is similar to that of a 6 and 7 is made of a size to accommodate the button 12 and hence Will usually be considerably larger than the structures shown in the other figures.

What is claimed is 1. A garment fastener comprising tWo identical members each composed of a piece of Wire bent intermediately upon itself into a loop rounded at the free or nose end and from thence expanding to a point more than half the length of the loop from' said free or nose end, then contracting until the sides of the loop meet and then continuing sub stantially in contact to form a shank With the ends of the latter reversely bent into oppostely directed rings, the loop being bent or dished longitudinally With the part between the shank and the widest portion of the loop extending to one side of the plane of the shank and that portion from the Widest part to the nose end extending to the other side of said plane, and the greatest breadth of the loop being less than its internal length, Whereby the nose part of one member engages over and about theshank of the other member with the nose part of said other member lying on the shank of the first member.

2. A garment fastener element comprising a piece of Wire bent intermediately upon itself into a loop with the' bend in the form of a rounded nose from which the sides of the loop gradually curve and expand to a point more than half the length of the loop from the nose and from thence gradually approaoh, the wires being brought into side contact at the shorter end of the loop to form a shank and the terminal portions of the Wire being reversely bent into oppositely directed rings, said loop being bent or dished longitudinally to bring the side portions approaching` the shank slightly on one side of the plane of the shank and to bring the nose end to the other side of such plane.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my own, l have hereto aflixed m'y signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

LOUIS VINOENT BARRETT, SR.

Vitnesses':

HUGH MoNELIs. THoMAs GARRE'r'r.

Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by adressng the Commissioner of Eatents, Washington, D. 6. 

